Iridescent and Dazzling
by Kittymama12
Summary: Juli wants to be friends. Bryce can respect that. He knows how badly he screwed up. And he's willing to do anything she asks to be with her. My version of Flipped's sequel. Please read and review. Thank you.
1. Starting Over B

_**Iridescent and Dazzling**_

_Kittymama12_

_Hello everyone! So, I absolutely LOVE the book and movie Flipped. And I decided to check out its fanfiction. I'm glad I did, because I really love everything I've been reading. I also decided to try my own hand at writing fanfiction for Flipped. So here goes, please read and review. I'd love to hear what you guys think. _

**Note: **Chapter names will tell which person's POV it will from. For example, this chapter, _Starting Over, _will be denoted as _Starting Over (B) _to signify that it is from Bryce's POV, as a chapter from Juli's POV will be denoted (J).

**Disclaimer: **_Flipped_ and all of its plot, characters, and settings belong to its marvelous author Wendelin Van Draanen. I own nothing nor do I make any profit from this story. Thank you.

She waved back. It was a slight and unsure, but it was more than I could've hoped for. Making my way back to my room, I tried to feel optimistic about Juli, but I just couldn't. I had screwed up so often, I was sure she was done with me. She had chased me for six years, _**six years**_, and I had wasted them by being a coward, and a jerk. Instead of seeing the beautiful person she had always been, I'd been too worried about appearances. That disgusted me more than anything, because it was exactly how my father behaved. And sadly, he wasn't someone I wanted to emulate. I can't change the fact that I look exactly like him, but I can try my hardest to be a better person than he is. Starting now.

Dinner started out as a normal affair that night. Granddad was still feeling over the moon about my feelings for Juli, so he was happy to praise my mother's cooking.

"These mashed potatoes are magnificent, Patsy. Did you use a new gravy recipe, perhaps?" My mother beamed at him and replied "As a matter of fact, yes Dad. Thank you for noticing. It's a cheese and chicken flavor blended together."

Lynetta scowled and muttered "As _**if**_ chicken and cheese is healthy for you."

My mother ignored her. I glanced at her, and then stared down at my own untouched food. The baked chicken, mashed potatoes and peas lay there, unappetizingly. I wasn't hungry. All I could do was think about Juli and wonder what _**she**_ was doing. I wondered if she would ever talk to me again. I really needed to see her, but it was best to give her space.

I was quiet, broodingly so, but then so was my father. That was strange, normally he was bellowing away about his job at the office, but right now, he was quiet. Almost too quiet. I glanced up from my plate to find him watching me steadily, our identical blue eyes staring right at each other, his searching, mine confused. Why was he watching me? Shrugging, I stared back at my food. I wasn't going to ask him. If he had something to say, then he should just come out and say it.

My mother must've noticed the awkward tension between my father and I. Glancing back and forth between us; she asked my father "Rick, is something wrong? You're unusually quiet." She turned to me and asked "Bryce, sweetie, is there anything wrong? You haven't touched your food." I sighed and started to shake my head.

My father took this as his cue. "Well, Patsy, I for one would like to know about Bryce's basket boy lunch. Wouldn't you? You made a fancy lunch for him, and he never even told us how it went. I'm curious, aren't you?" I dropped my fork and my head snapped up. I looked at my father, wide-eyed. He knew. I don't know how he knew, but he knew exactly what had happened between Juli and me at that lunch. Bummer.

My grandfather stopped eating and looked at me, to see what I would do. My mother and sister eyed me curiously, sensing the hidden animosity behind my father's words. Shakily, my mother told me "You never did mention it, honey. Would you like to share?" She glanced at my father whose eyes were narrowed, staring at me. She turned to me again, gesturing for me to tell the family.

The first thing that came to my head was 'No, I don't want to tell you, because it isn't any of your business, and you'll think I'm weird for liking her.' But instead, I shrugged and glanced at my grandfather. He seemed to shrink behind the rest of the family, but he was still more interested in my reaction than anyone else. It was almost like a test, but I didn't understand why. So I thought back to the conversations I'd had with him, the rare, but wisdom filled exchanges we'd shared with each other. Then my conversation with Juli came back, the one where she'd called me a coward. The one where she told me she had heard me laughing with Garret, instead of being honest with him, and telling him his retard jokes were not only not funny, they were cruel. Then, it dawned on me. My grandfather _**wanted**_ me to tell them. He wanted me to be honest, and true to myself, like I had never been before. Most importantly, I think he _**wanted **_me to stand up to my father, who seemed sure that I would lie and cower beneath his stare.

But I wouldn't cower, not this time. If I was ever going to be with Juli Baker, then my family, especially my father needed to see that I was serious about her.

Sitting up straight, I looked right into my father's eyes and said "The basket boy lunch was going well, until my two dates got involved in a catfight. While they were fighting, I went over to Juli Baker's table, where she was having lunch with Jon Trulock, grabbed her hand, asked her if she liked Jon, and then tried to kiss her. She rejected me then ran off. I've been trying to get her to talk to me for the last two days. I'm the one who planted that tree for her."

My mother gasped. Lynetta stared at me with her raccoon eyes, Granddad smiled and nodded appreciatively. My father scowled deeply.

"Why did you try to kiss that girl?" He asked me. I gritted my teeth and responded "I tried to kiss _**Juli**_ because I like her. A lot. I like her so much that I was willing to plant a Sycamore tree for her, because she loved that tree that you called ugly. She _**loved**_ it. And I wanted her to be able to remember that tree, so she could remember how she felt when she was climbing it. So much that when I'm around her, I can't help but want to kiss her because she's so beautiful." I finished solidly.

Lynetta rolled her eyes and said "Beautiful? Do we see the same girl?" I glared at her and said "You wouldn't understand. Juli's just… she's just different. Warmer, brighter. And I really li—"

"I forbid it." My father interrupted. My stomach dropped. He what?

My mother and grandfather both looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

"Rick! You can't possibly be serious. Julianna is a wonderful young lady. She's very intelligent and hard-working. It would be perfectly fine if Bryce saw her." My mother said reassuringly. She smiled at me. A real, genuine smile that told me she accepted Juli as well.

"Patsy, that family is no good! Drug dealing teenage boys! A daughter who raises chickens and climbs trees. A father so lazy his daughter is doing the work he is supposed to do. She's related to a retard. Does that mean nothing to you, son? She'll never be normal." My mother's eyes widened in horror at his words, Lynetta scowled and left dinner with a scathing glare over her shoulder at Dad.

Angry now, I didn't take care to temper my words. "I don't want normal! I've had normal! I want her! And I'll be whatever she needs me to be for as long as she wants. You can't keep me from seeing her." I told him, steaming mad. I had never ever thought about hitting my father, but his words were too much. He was worse than Garret, who I still wasn't speaking to. I wanted to knock him down. I wanted to tell him that Juli was a better person than he ever would be.

My grandfather fixed my father with a hard stare. My mother dismissed me. I gladly left, my grandfather following behind me. As I reached the stairs, he put his hand on my shoulder and said "Bryce, I'm real proud of you, son. I'm sure Juli would be to. You made the right choice."

Jaw clenched tightly, I nodded, and kept walking. Something had been damaged tonight. Suddenly, my father was an enemy. His words were too much. To him, appearance was all that mattered. But I was starting to learn that there was a lot more to life that appearance. Character mattered as well, like my Granddad had been saying to me.

I slammed the door to my bedroom and lay in my bed, kicking off my shoes. I stared at the ceiling wondering how long I would have to wait for Juli to accept me, and hopefully, forgive me. So deep into my thoughts, I almost didn't hear my door being knocked on.

"Baby brother?" Lynetta called out softly. I paused and sat up. Lynetta and I didn't really get along, I didn't know anything about her, and she didn't know anything about me, either. For her to talk to me in a soft, almost caring tone was a change.

"Come in, Lynetta." I said tiredly. She came in, almost nervously.

"So…. you and Juli, huh?" She asked me. I shook my head. She sat in my desk chair, staring at me.

"I screwed up, Lynetta. Big time. I don't know if she'll ever speak to me again. The things I did, and said." I told her sadly. Lynetta smiled and said "So you acted like an immature jerk. You're a thirteen year old boy, Bryce. Immature, at this point, is pretty much your life. Your life isn't over. And if she's as special as you think, then she'll forgive you. It sounds like you've made a lot of mistakes with her…. But from my experience, I can tell she'll forgive you. I'm a girl, and I know that any guy who plants you a tree, well, it's obvious that he cares for you. You guys don't make gestures like that unless you mean them."

I nodded, and conceded that to her. Guys don't make gestures like that unless we mean them. It was quiet. Lynetta bit her lip and said "Mom and Dad are arguing again. Over you and Juli again. It's pointless. Dad isn't going to give. He'll do anything to make anyone as miserable as he is. It's kind of sickening. But you'll be able to see her. Mom won't let him stop you. I wish she'd leave him." She finished in a low voice.

I stared at her. "Seriously?" I asked her.

Lynetta nodded and replied, "He's an asshole. She tries to hide it, but Mom's not very happy. She'd be happier if she left him." She stood and said "Remember what I told you, baby brother. Don't stress over it. Juli will talk to you when she's ready. And I'm sorry… for what I said earlier. I should've been more considerate." On that note, she exited the room as quietly as she had entered.

Lynetta sorry? I'd never heard those words from my sister. It was unnerving. But I considered that Lynetta was getting ready to leave for college soon. She had been accepted a few places, like USC, Stony Brook, and Binghamton, but she was waiting on some other college from California. Apparently, she couldn't wait to put distance between herself and Mayfield. At the moment, I couldn't blame her for wanting to escape Dad.

Someone knocked at my door again. I scowled, I didn't want to talk to anyone. I started to say that when she called my name.

"Bryce? May I come in? It's Juli." She said in a quiet, measured voice. I looked around my room frantically, trying to see if it was presentable enough to let her enter. It was. There were no dirty clothes lying about, no shoes out of place, no books or toys scattered.

Too eagerly, I stood up and walked to my door. Telling myself to remember to breathe and not freak her out, I turned the knob slowly and opened the door.

Juli stood outside my door, looking as nervous and out of place as I did. I stared at her. It seemed she would always have that warm glow about her, and I felt myself drifting towards her. I wanted to touch her hair, it still looked incredibly soft.

Clearing my throat, I pulled back and gestured for her to come in. She did and closed the door behind her.

"Hi." She said clearly.

"Hey Juli." I replied, sitting on my bed and pointing to the chair. She sat down as well. We were both quiet. I stared around my room, while she seemed to stare down at her feet. After five minutes, she blew out a breath and looked at me.

"Bryce? I wanted to thank you. For the tree. It's the sweetest thing that anyone's ever done for me. So thank you. It was very nice of you to plant it." She said, looking at me with her warm brown eyes trained on my face.

I smiled and replied "You're welcome Juli. I'm sorry… for… everything, I guess. I had no right to try and kiss you, I know that, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. For so long, I'd had these confusing feelings about you… and I just acted. I'm sorry about the whole Garret thing. And the eggs. And your tree. I should've climbed up with you. I should've tried to see what you always saw instead of being the coward that you accused me of being. I don't expect you to forgive me but I ho—

"I forgive you, Bryce. I'm not mad anymore. I'm… confused, but not mad. But let's not focus on the past anymore, okay? Let's think about our future. You say that you like me. A lot. I have to be honest. I don't know what I feel for you exactly. For so long, I liked you, but now I don't know what I feel. I do know that you and I have never talked. Never _**really**_ talked. Maybe… maybe it's time we do that. Why don't we try being friends first, okay? And see what happens from there. Can we do that?" She said to me earnestly, biting her lower lip.

My stomach did that flippy thing it's been doing whenever I think about her lately and I knew that I couldn't say no. I could be patient, I could wait. But at this moment, I couldn't imagine my world without Juli Baker in it. It was a lie, that world without her. Smiling at her, I told her "Juli, we can be friends. Maybe it's time we started over and really got to know each other. Hi, my name is Bryce Loski." I held out my hand for a handshake.

Juli had leaned forward, her shiny brown hair flowing over her shoulders, just like the picture. She grinned at me, and put her own hand in mine. I nearly sighed out loud. I'd been right. Her skin _**was**_ soft. Her hands were a little callused, but it didn't matter to me. Nothing matter except the fact that she was no longer mad at me. That she wanted to talk to me, even though I'd been so rotten. She smiled at me again, and shook my hand and said,

"Hi, Bryce. I'm Juli Baker. It's nice to meet you."

_Well, I hope that was enjoyable. Please read and review. Reviews are love. Tell me what you think. _


	2. Just Friends J

**Author's Note:** **Hi guys! So, I'm hoping you all enjoyed Chapter One. I don't exactly know how long it's going to be, but not that long. This chapter is Juli's POV. Hope you like it. Please read and review!**

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><p>Bryce smiled at me, squeezed my hand gently, and let it go. I looked into his blue eyes, eyes that sparkled, that dazzled me like they had always seemed to. The dazzling made my heart stop for a moment. Because it was a sign, a message sent that meant that Bryce was worth fighting for, that my affection for him all these years hadn't been for nothing. The boy with the dazzling eyes, he had a way to go, but he was worth it. I smiled to myself at the notice. It was true, I supposed.<p>

I thought back to my mother's words. She had said that a boy who tried to kiss a girl in front of all his classmates didn't seem like a coward to her. That wasn't cowardly to me either, I had to admit. I also had to admit that I didn't know any other thirteen year old boys who would plant a tree for a girl in front of their yard. My brothers wouldn't have done it, not boys at school, even nice ones like Jon, and _**certainly**_ not Garret Andersen. That soothed my feelings in a way. Part of my heart soared with hope. He had planted the tree for me. He had tried to kiss _**me**_. So maybe, he really did care, after all.

But I still cautioned myself. Bryce and I had a long way to go before we could be more than friends. We've never had a proper conversation that wasn't awkward or small talk. I wasn't lying when I had told him I just wanted to be friends. For now.

But now that Bryce and I had agreed to start over, I was unsure of myself. Looking into his beautiful blue eyes framed by such dark lashes, it was hard to remember why I didn't just jump into a relationship with him. He was so handsome. Always had been and probably always will be.

I abandoned that train of thought quickly. It wouldn't do any good. My days of obsessing about Bryce's looks were over. My father and Chet, they had taught to me to look at what's _**inside**_ a person, not just how they look on the outside. Mr. Loski was the perfect example of this. Sure, he was a good looking man, but his personality was revolting. He and Garret were no different, but he was undoubtedly worse because he was an adult, not an immature eighth grader with preteen insecurities. He was the type of person who always looked down on others when they didn't conform to society's expectations of them, yet he was jealous of these people, because they were genuinely _**happy**_. My father may not make as much money as Mr. Loski, but at the end of the day, he makes enough, and he's happy. My mom may get down sometimes, but she's happy too. I can't say the same for the Loskis.

I felt really proud of my parents at that moment. And I wondered if I would find someone who I could be completely happy with. Would he follow his heart and do the right thing? I couldn't help but glance at Bryce, who was staring at me intently. He smiled when I looked his way, and I couldn't help it, I melted a little inside. Never had Bryce Loski seemed so happy to see me and now he couldn't stop smiling at me. It was a change. I liked to think that he could be that man one day.

I glanced at his clock and noticed the time.

I rose from my seat, and watched as Bryce did the same. I told him "Well… I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow. It's getting pretty late, and I don't want to worry my parents. I told them I'd be right back. I'll show myself out." I waved goodbye then started to walk towards his room door.

"Juli, wait! I… I'll walk you back." Bryce told me. I started to protest but he shook his head and quieted me with the words "I want to, Julianna."

My stomach dropped. I can't remember Bryce ever calling me Julianna. My named rolled off his tongue so smoothly, and shocked, I didn't notice that he'd reached around me and opened the door.

"Okay, Bryce." I muttered. We turned into the hallway and bounded down the stairs. His parents were in the living room watching TV, along with Chet.

"Mom, I'm gonna drop Juli home." Bryce told his mother. Mrs. Loski nodded and said "That's fine sweetheart. Goodnight, Julianna. Feel free to visit whenever you would like to." Chet murmured "Goodnight Juli." He looked toward Mr. Loski who looked agitated.

"I don't see why you need to do that, Bryce. Her house is right across the street. She can walk herself home, can't she?" He told Bryce, leveling a hard stare at him. I stood there, dumbfounded. While it was true, I didn't understand why Mr. Loski would object to Bryce walking me home. Wasn't it the gentlemanly thing to do? I turned back to Bryce to tell him that his father was right, wanting to avoid awkwardness. It was already deadly quiet, as Mr. Loski's words sunk in. Mrs. Loski's eyes had bulged and she was turning completely red. Chet stared disapprovingly at Mr. Loski. I expected Bryce to recant his offer.

But Bryce surprised me. His brilliant blue eyes had flattened and dimmed with anger, and he leveled an even colder stare at his father. "I want to walk her home, Dad. I'll be right back, Mom." He said defiantly, completely disregarding Mr. Loski who was staring at me with disgust. Bryce continued walking towards the door, and held it open for me.

Annoyed, unable to understand what exactly had just happened, I told them all "Goodnight, everyone. Thanks for the offer, Mrs. Loski." Mrs. Loski smiled, more for my benefit, than out of genuine happiness. Bryce ushered me out of the door.

It was a short walk across the street, a silent one as well. Bryce didn't say one word to me; he never even looked at me. He kept his head down and his hands in his jeans pocket. I suppose he didn't want to talk about his father, so I tried to let it go. But there was more to that story than what I had just seen. Something was seriously wrong in the Loski household. By the time we had reached my door, I didn't know what to say about Mr. Loski's rudeness, so I decided to lead Bryce to talk about it. If we were going to be friends, then I needed to know how Mr. Loski felt about me, right.

"I hope you're not going to get in trouble, Bryce." I said to him.

For the first time in five minutes, he looked at me. His eyes had turned to ice, and they glittered in anger. It was disconcerting, to see Bryce angry. I'd never seen him angry before.

"I don't care if I get in trouble. You're worth it. And _**he **_is not going to stop me from seeing you. But I'm sorry, that you had to see my Dad like that. We had a… disagreement, earlier. He's still mad." Bryce told me sharply.

I knew that wasn't the whole story, but it was all I was getting, and for the moment, that was fine.

Standing at the door, I nodded at Bryce's apology for his father's rude behavior. But it wasn't necessary. Mr. Loski's attitude was his own.

I started to open my door. Bryce stopped me with a quiet murmur.

"Juli? Are you… riding your bike to school tomorrow? If you are… maybe I could join you? You could show me the route that you take. We could… I don't know, have that talk you wanted to have. Can I ride with you?" He whispered shyly.

I paused. Bryce wasn't shy! Well… he was a bit awkward, well, only with me, but never _**shy.**_ Were his feelings for me really that serious? Then I thought about his request. _'Ride bikes with me?' _ I was surprised. No one had ever volunteered to bike with me to school, not even once. It was a long ride out to Mayfield Junior High. But here Bryce was, the boy who had tried to avoid me for so long, asking me to ride with me, willing to take that ride with me. Frankly, I was shocked. It _**was**_ a long ride. Not one that many kids were willing to take. Yet, he was willing to accept the length of it, and take that ride with me. Feeling as though it couldn't hurt, I nodded slowly, swallowing lightly to bring my voice back.

"Bryce, that would be wonderful. I'd love for you to ride with me. It would be nice to have a companion for once. We could even race up the biggest hill, if you're willing… Are you sure you're up for it though? It's a long ride."

He grinned and nodded. "I'll be fine Juli. It's not a problem, as long as it's not going to rain tomorrow."

"It's not." I assured him quickly, not wanting him to cancel. A bike ride with Bryce Loski. I never imagined it could happen. I smiled at that thought.

Bryce smiled at me and said "I'll see you tomorrow, Juli. I'll meet you here at 7:10. That okay?"

Unable to help myself, I smiled at him again and nodded. "That's more than enough time. I'll see you tomorrow, Bryce. Goodnight." I finished softly. I opened my door, hearing him mutter "Goodnight, Juli."

Once again, I was mentally unhinged by our role reversal. In the old days, I would've been the one wanting to do things together, defending him from others, and being unsure of myself. Yet Bryce was in my shoes now. Still, it was strange to hear Bryce _**volunteer**_ to spend time with me. The bike request had left me a little giddy. I was so happy. We hadn't even really started talking but we were already planning to spend time together. I thought about how he'd stood up for me in front of his father and disobeyed his father, for _**me.**_ I didn't want him to get into trouble, but seeing him stand up for me was so different from the old Bryce, the cowardly Bryce who had laughed with Garret, instead of telling him the truth. But now, he was defending me from his father, who was really an overgrown, insensitive Garret clone. Seeing him behave in that way gave me hope, because I was sure that Bryce was changing, or at least, being true to himself.

My father had said "proper lighting is everything." Perhaps, with Bryce no longer trying to save face, I would see what was truly inside him. Maybe I was finally, _**finally**_ going to see him in the proper light. My heart beat faster at the thought. And that could only mean one thing.

I don't know how long I stood against my closed door, holding my hand over my heart. A heart, I was now completely sure, still held feelings for the boy with the dazzling blue eyes.

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><p><em><strong>SO, that's the end of the second chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying it. Hope it didn't take too long, either. For the most part, this story will detail their relationship up until graduation, with an epilogue with a time-skip. In essence, it'll move more slowly than the books. So, please continue to read and review. <strong>_

_**And in advance, I'm sorry if updates will be scarce. I go back to college this weekend, and I'll be pretty busy getting readjusted. **_

_**I hope you're enjoying the story. And please, let me know what you think! **_


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